Notice2021-21410
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Reporting of Sea Turtle Incidental Take in Virginia Chesapeake Bay Pound Net Operations
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 1, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 188 (Friday, October 1, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 188 (Friday, October 1, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 54437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21410]
[[Page 54437]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Reporting of Sea Turtle Incidental Take in Virginia Chesapeake
Bay Pound Net Operations
The Department of Commerce will submit the following information
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the
Federal Register on June 10, 2021 (86 FR 30918) during a 60-day comment
period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public
comments.
Agency: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Reporting of Sea Turtle Incidental Take in Virginia
Chesapeake Bay Pound Net Operations.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0470.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current
information collection).
Number of Respondents: 37.
Average Hours per Response: 10 minutes.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 167 hours.
Needs and Uses: Since 2002, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) has promulgated several rules restricting the use of
large mesh and stringer pound net leaders in certain Virginia
Chesapeake Bay waters during the late spring/early summer each year. On
June 17, 2002, an interim final rule was published (67 FR 41196)
restricting leader use, which also required year-round reporting of sea
turtle takes. In 2004, NMFS issued a final rule further restricting
pound net leader use in Virginia (69 FR 24997). The 2004 rule retained
the reporting requirement from the 2002 rule. These regulations
(modifications to 50 CFR parts 222 and 223) were implemented as a
result of high sea turtle strandings each spring in Virginia and the
documented take of sea turtles in pound net leaders. On March 31, 2018,
a revised Biological Opinion on NMFS gear regulations in the Virginia
pound net fishery was completed pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). An Incidental Take Statement was
included in this Biological Opinion, exempting the incidental take of a
certain number of loggerheads, Kemp's ridley, green, and leatherback
sea turtles in pound net operations.
A non-discretionary term and condition of the Incidental Take
Statement involved the reporting to NMFS of live or dead sea turtles
taken in pound net operations (reflected in 50 CFR 223.206). The
collection of this information on the incidental take of sea turtles in
the Virginia pound net fishery is necessary to ensure sea turtles are
being conserved and protected, as mandated by the ESA. Documenting the
accurate occurrence of sea turtle incidental take in pound net
operations will help to determine if additional regulatory actions or
management measures are necessary to protect sea turtles caught in
pound net operations. This information will help NMFS better assess the
Virginia pound net fishery and its impacts (or lack thereof) on sea
turtle populations in the Virginia Chesapeake Bay. The collection of
this information is also imperative to ensure that the Incidental Take
Statement is not being exceeded, the anticipated take levels are
appropriate, and the effects analysis in the Biological Opinion is
accurate. Further, reporting the take of live, injured sea turtles
caught in pound net gear will ensure these turtles are transferred
immediately to a stranding and rehabilitation center for appropriate
medical treatment.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Frequency: Reporting occurs when sea turtles are encountered in
Virginia pound net gear, which could occur occasionally from May
through November.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Endangered Species Act.
This information collection request may be viewed at
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>. Follow the instructions to view the Department of
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of
this notice on the following website <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB
Control Number 0648-0470.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-21410 Filed 9-30-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 1, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.